Fabio Grosso Joins Lyon
By: Inara | July 5th, 2007
Lyon get their own underwear model!
The club hasn’t officially acknowledged it yet, but we all know how slow they are with these things. If French media is to be believed, Lyon have signed Fabio Grosso, who met Aulas in Monaco this morning. Grosso has returned to Milan to work out exit details, and once Inter agrees, Fabio can have his medical, get his jersey, and become a quasi-Frenchman.
Transfer details: Inter Milan will receive around €7m from Lyon and Grosso will sign a four year contract. I am not exactly sure about his wage situation, because some sources are reporting he’ll be paid more at Lyon than at Inter (unbelievable) while others are saying that he’ll receive a pay cut (believable). Regardless, he’ll still be earning around €2m per season, which is comfortable.
Grosso’s arrival isn’t that exciting, but then again, a fullback isn’t exciting anyway, and no one builds a team around them (unless they are named Daniel Alves). It’s a little worrying how Inter fans are glad to see Grosso go, but that’s how it is at Lyon. No one wanted Wiltord, Elber, Tiago, and Baros either.
Oh well. Nothing wrong with charity.
Interestingly, Grosso will become the second Italian ever at Lyon (the first was Rene Rocco in the sixties). I confess to being surprised that Grosso isn’t staying in Italy. No one (on this blog at least) could have predicted that Grosso would be okay with earning less and playing for a less glamorous league. See, Allez Lyonnais! Lyon can attract players from Italy!!!
Thoughts: I know the club will never be able to replace Abidal perfectly, because (to my mind) there is no better left back out there so perfect for Lyon. But, given the limited range the club has to choose from (good enough for Lyon but affordable too), I suppose Sylvain Armand and Grosso were the best options. There was also Gabriel Heinze that Lyon followed for a while, but Heinze is an Argentinian citizen and would require one of Lyon’s precious non-EU spots. As for Mikael Silvestre…I will not even speak about him.
Armand was the club’s first choice, as he’s familiar with L1, has experience in the Champions League and UEFA Cup, is French, and is well liked by new coach Perrin (but not by Lacombe…), but PSG didn’t want to let him go. Fabio Grosso, he of World Cup fame, has never played outside of Italy in his life and spent this past year injured, and Inter were more than happy to offload him, but his non-hatred of L1 is to be commended.
Given a choice between a defensive left back that can’t really attack (Armand) and an offensive left back that can’t really defend (Grosso), it looks like the latter won out, and since Lyon’s attack has lost a lot of its teeth this past year, perhaps Grosso’s overly attacking capabilities will come in handy. Perrin will just have to tell Cris and Toulalan to stay extra sharp.
I have no doubt that Aulas could have worn down PSG and eventually gotten Armand had he really wanted it, since Armand is not Ribery and Cayzac is not Diouf, so at least it shows that Grosso isn’t here because Armand rejected us. That does wonders for the ego.
About GROSSO:
Name: Fabio Grosso, “Thick/Large” (according to google).
Age: 29
Position: Left back, left wing
Previous clubs: Chieti, Perugia, Palermo, Inter
Most of Grosso’s career has been spent in the lower divisions of Italian football. He started out in Serie C with Chieti as an attacking midfielder, then switched to Perugia where he was converted to a left back. He stayed with Perugia for three years until they were demoted to Serie B. Switching to Palermo, he helped them reach promotion to Serie A in 2005, and that following year he turned in such solid performances at left back that Marcello Lippi not only included him in his World Cup squad but switched the very experienced Gianluca Zambrotta to right back in order to accommodate Grosso.
He had a fabulous World Cup and will be remembered for three things: winning a controversial penalty for Italy during their Round of 16 match against Australia, scoring during the last minute of extra time against Germany in the quarterfinals, and in the finals, scoring the fifth and final penalty in the shootout against France.
Unfortunately, his career plummeted afterwards. After signing for Inter Milan, he was plagued by injuries this past season, putting in only 23 Serie A appearances. He fell behind the pecking order to Maxwell, and knowing that his future at Inter was dim, he began looking at other options, with Lyon’s proposal being the most favorable.
A mini-biography of Grosso (in English!):
He scores a goal:
Category: 
Tags: Fabio Grosso, Inter Milan, Lyon, People, Player News and Rumors, PSG, Sylvain Armand, Team News and Rumors, Transfers, VideoSubscribe
|
Print
|
Share
      |
Comments
-
YYYEEESSS !!!! Great. But now we have to hope,at 29 he will have at least two good seasons in the legs. The flop after the WC is a current stuff we see in lot of high level players, and doesn’t worry me. I wonder myself a thing, since few weeks, do will we see an association Grosso/Belhadj like we saw an Abidal/Malouda, an offensive def combinated with an former defensor become offensive?
Posted from
France
-
Roma stacked at LB? Ha! The left flank has zero depth. Zero. (You may have been sarcastic but my radar is way off right now)
I think this may be a case of two things:
a) He wants to start and make his way back to the Azzurri. Knowing how much he loved last summer I can’t fault him for that. All of Italia owes him.b) He didn’t make it to Serie A until later in his career and I’m fairly sure he isn’t set for life financially yet. This is one instance where I can forgive for taking the money. When he was at Palermo and Perugia I’m pretty sure he wasn’t taking in big money. He was still relatively unknown. Even Moratti wasn’t paying him greatly (he signed before the WC – D’Oh!). He deserves to be taking down big paychecks.
I think it was a compromise between A & B. Because no one was going to give him that kind of money AND a starting spot in Serie A. Including Roma, with Max Tonetto having taken over his starting spot on the Nazionale recently when Zambro was out. (Btw, Roma turned him down repeatedly in Chivu negotiations)
I wonder how he will be received in France. He’s an absolute class guy off the pitch and gives everything he has on it. But he did put that last PK in the back of the net in Berlin……
That being said, I will be crying into my pillow tonight.
Posted from
United States -
Im not a fan of this signing. His competition at inter i liked alot better, Maxwell. anyways, he has the pedigree for the CL but i am skeptical as to how he will do in France. People say its a lesser league then Italy, but its still tough and its very different. he may need time to adapt, but i also thinks its safe to say berthod will walk, take a boat, then walk to Monaco now which sucks cause he is home grown, his little brother is a RB in the u-18 team.
Posted from
United States -
Jo: Oh yes please! I’ve been dying to see what Lyon’s new kits will look like (I heard the away kit is gold, not the red we’re used to). Anyway, I’m sure Grosso’s press conference won’t be till next week anyway since everyone is at Tignes now.
Thierry: Grosso’s signing could be to complement Belhadj, as I think they would be a good pair. I would be frightened to have Grosso-Ben Arfa on the flank until they both get used to each other though. Or unless Lyon try to pull a Barca 3-5-2 formation or something equally dumb.
Chris: I don’t think Lyon is the place for taking down big paychecks, and it’s looking more and more like the pay difference isn’t that great, so I’m inclined to think it’s for sporting reasons he’s coming to Lyon. He’s been pushed off the NT, and unlike Lippi, who was willing to give him a chance, Doni is more cautious and won’t trust Grosso on current form (I don’t blame him either). If he can gain his form back, that would be excellent for him and for Lyon.
As for his reception in France…well, he’ll be welcomed whole-heartedly by Lyon fans. Maybe some fans from other clubs might give him a hard time, but he’s a professional footballer and I’m sure he can handle the odd poster or catcall. And since Lyon is hated throughout France anyway, he’ll hardly be alone in getting criticized. Among the team…well, he doesn’t know French, so until he learns it, he might have a hard time as Baros did (though at least Baros had Kallstrom, Wiltord, and Tiago to talk to in English). I don’t know if any OL player knows Italian. But they won’t hold his World Cup against him, despite so many France internationals on the team – but it will make the Italy-France match up in September really interesting.
Corey: Berthod’s transfer to Monaco is even more official than Grosso’s to Lyon. Olivier Blanc confirmed that a deal had been reached with Monaco for 2.5 million euros for Berthod. I too liked him a lot and am sorry to see him go, as he’s been good spirited despite being pushed away by Abidal, a mercenary and not a Lyonnais at heart, whereas Berthod as been at Lyon for thirteen years. He’s class, and I wish the management trusted him more, but what can you do. I think Lyon will regret selling him in a few years though, like they did with Florent Balmont and Freddi Kanoute.
Posted from
United States -
Saragossa seems in advance on the Olivera case, but they are interested to have this player on loan with an option to buy at the end…and it seems Milan AC recently contacted OL to know if Lyon could be interested, so I am thinking about 2 hypo:
either Saragossa is not ready to assume the whole salary and Milan AC is trying to find a club ready and able to assume it (otherwise I don’t see the interest to put clubs in concurrence for a loan??);
Or Milan Ac would prefer to sell this player as soon as possible (and not the next summer) and is testing if OL could be the one interested to cash right now for Olivera…That’s only pure hypos from my sick and disoriented mind…anyway I join Salieri on the point that Ben Arfa looks a bit too “tender” to assume the left side for the whole season…too bad Camo would have been perfect to replace Wiloo in order too cover our flanks (left as right…and au deuxième degré pour ceux qui comprennent le français)
Posted from
United States -
As Lyon is looking to try one more time to recycle a “futur great forward that missed the step higher”,
+ will probably hire an italian player
+ in same level of price and cost:
= Is OL also looking to Cassano??? Calderon already said that he wants get rid of this player… come on Nanard & Jean Mimi, you should think that Fabio needs a training friend in Lyon…and moreover it doesn’t even require to free a non-european spot…and more important Chris would definitely believe that the 2 Lyon’s hills are the equivalent of the 7 roman one…Lugdunum the more roman of the french cities, that Claudia & Caracalla be with us!!!Posted from
United States -
I’m not sure what the monetary situation is, but I just meant it was the combination of the two. He wanted starting AND the money. He wasnt finding that in Italia.
And I think you give The Don Doni too much credit. Yeah, Fab G didn’t have the greatest of seasons at Inter (it’s where NT careers go to die), but The Don also has Fab Quags to currently thank for even being employed. A nil-nil draw against Lithuania would’ve seen him ousted ASAP, and those goals were all Fab Quags – not tactics. He’s got the selection skills of Raymond Domenech.
And I would bet the house against FG being named to that 9/8 squad, unless he scores a hatty in his Lyon debut. Italians abroad aren’t highly thought of when it comes to NT selection – regardless of the coach.
Posted from
United States -
Mat: Oliveira’s salary is actually affordable by Lyon standards, though it would still make him one of the higher paid players at the club, and for that money, I’d rather have Elmander (and I don’t want him either). He’s Brazilian, which means a non-EU spot we don’t even have available at the moment, and he’s 28, so he doesn’t even have the youth factor going for him. As for Cassano, I can’t imagine him coming to Lyon (though that’s what I said about Grosso), and we definitely can’t meet his wage demands. I don’t think he’s as nice as Fabio when it comes to accepting a smaller paycheck.
Chris: I didn’t mean that Grosso would get back on the NT right away but that it would be interesting when international week looms ahead at the club, and he might get teased by OL players as they get ready to play against Italy. Automatic NT selection at Lyon only works for France and Domenech (who is a former OL player and manager). Anyway, after the bad year that Grosso had, he needs to work for another year before he can be considered again, as the Italian NT is almost as hard to get into as the France NT. I’m kind of glad though, because him being off the NT for a while means he won’t get overly tired while still having something to work for (getting noticed once again).
Posted from
United States -
One (girl) friend of mine just came to see me while I was on the computer and saw the frontpage of this offside blog. I had some difficulties to make her believe it was ALL about football, and not about naked males (Nilmas & Grosso)…
Inara, did you just notice how the frontpage now looks like?
Posted from
United States -
Btw, getting lost in all this is that Grosso was bought last year for between €5.5-6.5m, had a terrible year at Inter and is getting sold for a PROFIT. Aulas just got fucked. Now he knows what it’s like.
Posted from
United States -
Good recruit for OL.That first picture is gross.
Posted from
United States -
You mean that you guys don’t appreciate pictures of Italian footballers prancing around in their underwear? Just wait until you see the post I have written up for Baros.
Chris, it’s true, Aulas isn’t getting a deal. But Inter bought Grosso before the WC, and while his price did decrease this year, Lyon are in a hurry and just want a LB, any decent LB, that will get the job done, as the club is leaving for Korea next week. I also think Aulas doesn’t care too much about paying an extra million or two for two reasons: because Lyon are in a position now where a few million is loose change, and that he did the one thing that other clubs in France haven’t been able to do yet – lure a willing player from one of the big three leagues to France. The difference between a selling club and a big club is that only selling clubs worry about profit whereas big clubs generally don’t profit from transfers, and Aulas is painfully aware of this distinction. It’s why he didn’t balk at spending so much money on Keita, on Fred two years ago, and on what he would have spent on Ribery and Trezeguet last year. In fact, you will rarely see Aulas complain about the price of incoming players, as he won’t bother bidding for what Lyon can’t afford.
Posted from
United States -
I get your point, but I do think that a selling club and a big club can be one in the same. And I’m not referring to Roma. There are some examples of big clubs that don’t have endless bank accounts and who will barter to no end for players. Arsenal being one before whatever the hell happened with Henry.
Posted from
United States -
Good signing. Grosso isn’t good in defense but at least he’ll have the intimidation factor goign for him in the first half of the season. And he’s big too.
Chris, I think what Inara means by not being a selling club is that Aulas is trying to get the message across that Lyon isn’t Ajax or Sporting. Lyon makes shrewd transfers but they aren’t afraid of spending money either. Big clubs can ofcourse profit from transfers (Juve got 70million for Zizou) but they don’t always have to. Lyon have historically spent less and earned more. That’s their trademark. But I think in the coming years, that money will balance out. They will sell big but try to spend big too. Maybe not in terms of wages but they are trying not to be afraid of big transfer fees either.
Posted from
United States -
“Did you hear how Lyon might be interested in getting Oliviera on loan from Milan? He’s a Serie A player I’m pretty sure will turn us down to go play at Real Zaragoza.”
You can stop now if you’re being sarcastic.
Overall, I think Grosso is a great acquisition for Lyon although I would’ve preferred Armand for the knowledge of L1 and versatility. But having a player of his reputation definitely glams up our image and that’s a good thing.
Posted from
United States -
Chris: ^^ What Matthew said. Also, Lyon have overpaid before – we spent nearly 5 million on Fabio Santos, when we could have gotten cheaper EU nationals that were just as good. John Carew and Elber (and possibly Baros – the verdict is still out) weren’t worth the money, and it’s up to Keita now to prove he’s worth 18m. Lille made a lot of money on Keita, because they bought him from Qatar for three million and then sold him two years later for six times that.
Matthew: Thanks for saying what I wanted to. On one hand, I too want Lyon to spend money – we have a lot of it lying around – but on the other hand, Aulas is saving for that stadium.Allez Lyonnais: I wasn’t being sarcastic but sadly serious. Oliveira is Milan’s (fourth? fifth?) choice striker, and yet I’m sure he’d turn us down to go play in the UEFA Cup with Zaragoza. Well, not everyone can be open minded like Grosso and Tiago.
Posted from
United States -
I was wondering who was the former italian player in Ligue 1.
Wasn’t it Ravanelli, with Marseille ??? That’s a long time ago !Posted from
France -
Vieiri played in Monaco quite recently
Posted from
United States -
Oh, right ! I forgot him…
But Monaco isn’t really in France lolPosted from
France -
Grosso will be in Lyon for his medical tomorrow.
I hope he doesn’t find playing in France too awkward. But the great thing about being in Lyon is that Milan is only an hour or two away by car.
Posted from
United States -
Olivera will move back to Spain, and Zaragoza seem to be a realistic canidate, especially since Ewerthon is rumored to be switching to Stuttgart, while the Millito brothers look to be headed out. Sergio Garcia can not be relied upon to bag all the goals, so Olivera seems like an ideal canidate.
Grosso will have some adapting to do, and I dont like the fact that Auluas was willing to buy someone who had such a poor season. The World Cup does not give a good indication of a player, its a series of isolated incident really. how many great players go to the WC and dont have a good tournament but are still chugging away in their leagues. And likewise, how many nobodies show up to the WC and “WoW” the critics, transfer to a bigger club and then dont do much. English clubs ring a bell, they usually buy every player who did well at a WC under the sun and they all end up flopping or going back to the mediocre player they always were. Grosso may do a decent job for Lyon, but he is a very short term signing, I cant see him sticking around for more then three years, Italy is tought for Italians to leave even if Lyon is two hours away.
Posted from
United States -
In Grosso’s defense he was very good at Palermo before the WC, but having bad season’s at Inter is just what happens. It’s where a lot of careers go to die, for some reason.
Posted from
United States -
True Chris, but it doesnt mean im content with him. He appears on the surface to not be an ideal import. Maybe i just dont trust italians abroad, they seem to struggle. Especially after being at Inter, the land of Moratti and his illusions of granduer.
Posted from
United States -
Good news is that he knows French! Let’s cross our fingers and hope he settles. And at least we also have Belhadj.
Posted from
United States -
True, that picture is grossing me out though, im sick of looking at his nugget pouch. I havent even seen him play for Lyon yet, and he should buy me dinner before he gets in his undies in front of me.
Posted from
United States
Read the rest of the comments
Comments are closed
Home 
